Exactly! But I am not doing the reducing. Like Michael Smith pointed out, and you are doing now, why not eschew the bikinis and talk about substantive issues? Without wondering if it is an act of exoticising to make this very request i.e., the request that we not speak of freedom to wear bikinis as if they are representative of the real issues faced by remote groups (unless we are going to take the trouble to lay out how they are representative).
Re: the links you posted: sure you will find examples of adoption of Western attire in India. In fact, the interest in Western fashion and mannerisms is an identifier for a particular class of society (of which I am definitely a part, having forsaken my father's strict adherence to Khadi). But I am not as sure as you are that a woman in a bikini won't get arrested in the beaches of Madras. It's a toss-up. In fact, here one might indeed find some discrimination -- a man in a Speedo will probably get away quite fine. But be that all as they may, the focus on Madras beaches is to question whether people visiting those beaches are longing for Western swimwear and see it as a crucial bit of freedom <-- the substantive issue.
I suggest this post (http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/pipermail/lbo-talk/Week-of-Mon-20090622/009105.html ) as the one that intentionally muddied the water, derailing the discussion in the interest of scoring a debating point.
--ravi